Cookie Dough Dreams
by Magnus The Wolf
Summary: When Sarge feels sick, Cleopatra tells her about the good old days to cheer her up. Cleo and Sarge friendship centric.


_Author's Notes: I recently came across an old notebook I used to jot down stories, exercises and such in and I found this, untitled, and I think I might have been done with it but I guess we'll just assume I was. I had written this because I had just wanted a sweet little scene between the two characters after the events of the episode. I think this was meant to be an extra scene at the end of "Reality Check." Either that, or one which would take place soon after, but either way here is this little one shot._

_Summary: When Sarge feels sick, Cleopatra tells her about the good old days to cheer her up._

_Warnings: None._

_Spoilers: Very minor ones for "Reality Check." _

_Setting: Anywhere post "Reality Check." _

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Cleopatra 2525, just this little story they're appearing in. _

**Cookie Dough Dreams**

"How ya feelin', Sarge?" Cleopatra's sympathetic voice drifted across the lab and over to the blonde's ears and was faintly registered through her massively pounding headache.

"Like there's an army of Betrayer's letting loose inside my skull," the older woman replied, pressing her fingers to the aching in her temples.

"You poor thing," Cleo added, walking over to Sarge on the table where she was hunched over, obviously in discomfort. "I think you're just overworked. What you need is some aspirin and a day at the spa."

Sarge sighed, opening her eyes as the blonde stopped at her side.

"I don't think that's gonna do it, Cleo," she informed, dropping her hands from her head to the table with a thud.

Cleo shrugged. "Always works for me."

Catching the frustrated looks in Sarge's distraught eyes, Cleopatra's motherly instincts sparked and, wrapping her arms around the woman's bare shoulders, she gently encouraged her off the table.

"Aw, why don't you come take a nice long nap and let Hel and I worry about those big, bad Betrayers for a while."

"Yeah," Sarge answered almost weakly as she allowed Cleo to escort her across the lab. "Boy, I must be getting sick," she informed as her own words had just occurred to her as they passed through the circular tunnel towards her bed chambers. "Leaving the fate of the world in your hands," she added, throwing in a small chuckle at her own joke.

"I'll just assume that's the fever talkin'," Cleo responded, smiling as she helped her friend into her bedroom.

"And common sense," Sarge added with a grunt as she allowed her achy body to fall onto the welcoming bed, pulling herself up to her pillow and closing her eyes as soon as she made contact with it.

Cleo perched herself beside the woman, gently running her fingers through her teammate's long, blonde locks in a soothing motion, enjoying the silky texture it presented her flesh with. Despite how tough the woman liked to act Cleo knew she was sentimental at heart. She knew no matter how hard Sarge might try to hide those feelings of hers sometimes, they were always there, and Cleo could always spot them whether the older woman liked it or not.

As Cleopatra's caring fingers continued their relaxing journey in and out of her hair, Sarge allowed it to calm her down, enjoying the comfort her friend was providing her pain ridden and ever needy body with.

"Cleo," Sarge spoke softly after a few moments when her headache had finally begun to damper off a bit.

"Yeah," the younger woman replied just as softly as Sarge herself had sounded.

"What was it like?" Sarge questioned, her tone still minimal and her eyes still shut against the soft pillow. "Living in the world we saw, your world. What do you miss most?"

Cleopatra sighed at the deep question. There were so many aspects of her "previous life" she enjoyed and missed that she could hardly know where to begin in tryingto pinpoint a favorite experience.

"I don't know exactly. Lots of things," she answered, keeping her steady pace running her playful fingers through the long, soft hair. "My friends, my family, my puppy." Cleo smiled at the sight of him. "It's not like there's just one thing that makes your life special, you know? It's a combination. Like...cookie dough ice cream. It's not just the cookie dough or the vanilla texture or the chocolate chips or even the whip cream that makes it good. It's when you combine them all that you really enjoy it for all it's worth. You know what I mean?"

Sarge smiled at Cleo's words allowing them to give her some peace but opened an eye to look at the now nearly glowing woman beside her.

"What's ice cream?" she questioned, unsure of the analogy the woman had just used though she did find it quite appealing.

Cleo laughed lightly at realizing she'd just confused her friend even more with her explanation.

"Ok, that's one of the things I miss. It's this great dessert treat. My mom used to make this killer ice cream in the summertime. Oh, it was great." Cleo continued, smiling at the happy memories as they came flooding back to her grateful consciousness. "Yeah, that's definitely on the list of things that never should've gone out of style. Oh, and root beer floats. The bowling alley I used to go to had the best root beer floats. Sometimes I'd have ten in one night. My record high was thirteen. Much better than those chalky earth drinks you guys love so much."

"Sounds like it," Sarge chuckled, wishing she could experience for herself everything she was hearing.

"Yep, those were the good ol' days. Back then robots were cool little friendly toys you got under the Christmas tree and the only betrayers you saw were in a line of action figures on isle ten packaged in plastic."

Sarge smiled wider. As much as she'd always loved taking out Betrayer's she couldn't deny the thought of living in the world she'd only briefly gotten to experience in the simulation tube and the more Cleopatra told her about it the more she wished she could see it first hand. As long as she could still get in some action, of course.

"What about those cars? What's up with those things?"

"Oh, my mustang, man I miss cruisin' the streets in her. She was sweet." Cleo nodded proudly as she spoke as if she was talking about her child or something.

"But they're so hard to control?"

"You get used to it. I think you'd like it. I could totally see you driving a race car going a couple hundred miles an hour. Yeah, you'd totally dig it."

Sarge smiled again, sure she would have loved many of the things Cleo was talking about and allowed the thoughts to remind her what it was she was fighting for. What she was sure was a better world.

"One day we will, Cleo. You can teach me all about it," she surely informed, opening golden eyes to smile at the blonde's own.

Cleo smiled back, that child like, sweet smile and dropped her hand from Sarge's hair to the side of the bed to give her palm a quick squeeze.

Sarge chuckled. "As long as I don't hafta wear one of the officer outfits again. Those were so unflattering."

Cleo laughed keeping her grip on the woman's hand.

"Oh don't worry. As soon as we retake the surface we're gonna hafta build a Victoria's Secret. Oh and a Fredrick's of Hollywood. Oh and a Gap would be cool. Course we'll need an Old Navy and-"

"Oh, God," Sarge sarcastically cut in. "The surface is gonna be over run with fashion obsessed girly girls isn't it?" she chuckled.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with a little style," Cleo reminded gesturing down to her own outfit she had touched up.

"Well, I guess if they're like you I can learn to tolerate 'em."

Cleo laughed. "Yeah, and don't worry. We'll build a spa so you can get your hair done properly," she joked.

"Hey," Sarge combated, shooting Cleo a playfully challenging look before settling back down onto the pillow as she was becoming increasingly tired. "I might be sick but I can still take you," she jokingly warned.

"Well, not until after you've gotten some rest," Cleo reminded, standing from the bed. "Hel and I will hold down the fort until you're better. I've got it totally under control."

"Oh, than I'm not worried," Sarge remarked in sarcasm with a grin.

Cleo smiled at her teammate's teasing knowing full well Sarge didn't really think like that and sure Sarge herself knew it wasn't the entire truth either.

"Good," Cleo cheerfully replied. "Then I'll see you when you're all rested and ready for Betrayer duty."

Sarge smiled; welcoming the sleep she was quickly finding herself falling into and cuddled against the sheets which had become warmed by Cleopatra's body, allowing a yawn to escape her.

"Wake me when the surface is ours," she informed sleepily, as the last bits of her consciousness drifted away sending her into the sweet dreams of sunlight, night skies, and chocolate chip cookie dough.

The End.


End file.
